Spa, strategies and savoir- faire

Prisca Courtin- Clarins, international director of Retail, Spa and MyBlend for Clarins, talks about a new spa concept, her current project and her grandfather’s legacy.

What are you currently working on?

I’m working on a big retail concept where we handle our own distribution globally and offer a new boutique experience for clients.

Describe your new Spa & Lunch concept.

Food and beauty complement each other, so I’ve developed a new spa concept for the brand called Spa & Lunch, which opened recently in Lille. There’s nutrition advice from the restaurant, beauty advice from the spa, and a retail and juice bar area. You can enjoy a healthy lunch based on edible ingredients inspired by Clarins’ plant world. We are hiring a reputable chef to create a new menu for Spa & Lunch.

Why open in Lille and not in Paris?

It’s costly to have a spa in a good area. We were lucky to find a couple in Lille, where the wife is a beauty therapist and the husband a chef, who agreed to help us launch our new concept.

Your grandfather says the Clarins spa is the DNA of the brand, what is so sacred that you would never change?

I would not change the application method which is unique to Clarins. He’s a firm believer in never stretching the skin and always selling a product along with the application method.

What was the most important thing you’ve learnt from your grandfather?

He understood the importance of the right application for each product and he had savoir- faire in developing a method to maximise the product’s efficacy. He’s also inspired us to ‘ do more, do better and enjoy doing so’ – which we apply to everything that we do at Clarins. In the beauty industry we stand out as we have skincare products and a spa, so we don’t really have a competitor.

What’s new in 2016 for Clarins’ spa treatments?

We are launching the Tri- Active facial treatments, introducing new whitening activator products and new treatment methods. Through its dual purifying and unifying action, this new treatment evens the complexion while restoring the skin’s rosy, transparent glow and velvety look. Then for home use, you can continue with the Clarins White Plus Total Luminescent range.